Fitting for collapsible tubs



Nqv. 22, 1938. w. c.- BAXTER FITTING FQR COLLAPSIBLE TUBS Fil ed Feb. 3, 1958 William c. Baxter I I NVEN TOR A TTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STAT ES. PATENT OFFICE FITTING FOR coLLAPsmLE TUBS William C. Baxter, Rochester, N.- Y., assignor to Trimble Nurseryland Furniture, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 3, 1938', Serial No. 188.552;

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a fitting for a collapsible tub, and has for its purpose to afford an efiicient, simple, and economical construction for clamping a hose coupling to a fabric tub such as employed in connection with infants folding bath stands where a tub of rubber or other suitable fabric is employed and it is desirable to have a hose connected with a drain opening in the tub.

More particularly the invention is intended to provide a fitting that grips the tub fabric firmly, making a secure connection, and in such a fashion that there is no upstanding portion of the fitting projecting above the bottom of the tub, but the elements of the fitting and the clamped portion of the rubber fabric are located slightly beneath the main portion of the tub bottom so that water can freely drain, and there is no tendency or possibility of water collecting around the drain opening to cause rotting or deterioration of the fabric.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the invention as applied to a fabric tub bottom;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the female member illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the male member illustrated in Fig. 1,- and Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the application to a fabric tub bottom of a modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, and to the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, l designates the female member having the terminal portion 2 to which may be cemented or otherwise attached the hose 3, and an interiorly threaded portion 4 which receives a correspondingly threaded portion of the male member to be referred to later. Above said threaded portion 4, the female member has a flaring portion 5 affording a dished or convex surface 6 against which the fabric 1 of the tub bottom is engaged and clamped.

The male member, in this form of the invention, comprises a collar that is positionable through an opening in the tub fabric and has an 'exteriorly threaded portion 8 engageable with point where it is clamped lies slightly beneath the main body of the tub bottom or the uppermost edge of the female member so that water can pass freely into the fitting and there is no obstruction or upstanding portion to interfere with its movement or to cause pocketing of water around or adjacent to the fitting.

With this construction, the hose 3 may first be permanently attached to the female member, and the male member then passed through an opening in the tub fabric and brought into threaded relation with the female member, to assemble the parts in the manner described.

In some cases, it may be desirable to attach the hose to the male member, and this is possible with the construction ilustrated in Fig. 4 where the male member includes the threaded portion II, and the terminal part I! constructed to receive'the hose l3, while [4 is the laterally extending narrow lip or clamping edge that engages the tub fabric and clamps it against the female member. The latter is in the form of a nut l5 having a threaded portion I6, and a dished surface I! that receives the tub fabric and against which the latter is clamped by the male member in the manner already described.

With this latter arrangement, the male member including the hose attaching portion I2 is inserted through the openingin the tub fabric l8, and the nut 15 is then threaded thereon and the tub fabric clamped against it by the clamping lip M which engages the tub fabric at a point slightly beneath the upper edge of the female member or nut I5 so as to insure the water in the tub draining into the hose and to prevent it from pocketing around the fitting. The hose I3 is thereafter attached to the terminal portion l2 of the male member;

While two alternative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, the improvement is not limited to these particular forms, and this application is intended to cover any other modifications or departures that may come within the purposes of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A fitting for clamping a hose connection to a fabric tub comprising male and female threaded members having cooperating clamping portions, both of which are located substantially above both threaded portions when in clamping position, the uppermost edge of the male member when in clamping position being located slightly beneath the uppermost edge of the female member,'one of said members being constructed to receive a hose.

2. A fitting for clamping a hose connection to a fabric tub comprising male and female threaded members, said female member having a convex surface extending upwardly and outwardly from its threaded portion to receive the tub fabric, and said male member positionable through an opening in the tub fabric and having a laterally extending annular clamping edge located above and outwardly from its threaded portion and acting to force the fabric against said convex surface of the female member at a point slightly beneath the upper edge of the latter, the upper edge of the male member being slightly below the upper edge of the female member when the parts are in clamping position, whereby the tub fabric overlies said upper edge of the female member at a point slightly above the uppermost portion of the male member, one ofsaid threaded members being constructed to receive a hose.

WILLIAM C. BAXTER. 

